The main difference between normal cells
and cancer cells is the time it takes them to replicate. Cancer
cells multiply rapidly; normal cells multiply slowly. How does a
normal cell convert into a cancer cell? The conversion happens
when a normal cell’s “fast replication” switch, deep inside its
genetic material or DNA, is flicked “on” as a result of chronic
exposure to excited oxygen molecules. Such molecules are also
known as free radicals or reactive oxygen species (ROS). We can
think of ROS as machine gun-toting terrorists who take pot shots
at different parts of our cells, and damage them. And they don’t
stop there: Essentially, they target all living cells and organ
systems in the body, and their trail of devastation results in
poor functioning, aging, disease, and ultimately cancer. One
researcher estimates that about 10,000 times per day, countless
legions of these terrorists attack the DNA inside each cell
throughout the body. When our bodies have accumulated too many
free radicals, we refer to this as oxidative stress. Chronic ROS
or free-radical bombardment is thought to be the main reason
normal cells turn cancerous. Luckily for us, free-radical
“lasers” in the form of chemotherapy and radiation therapy (CT/RT)
are used to kill cancer cells.
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